COLUMBIA, SC — from www.patch.com – In a hearing before the Senate ethics committee on Thursday, Sen. Robert Ford (D- Charleston) was alleged to have misused thousands of dollars in campaign funds. Most notably, the committee alleged that some of the money was spent at a store for adult entertainment.

The committee reviewed dozens of examples where money donated to Ford’s campaign ended up in his personal account. The committee alleged Ford made a range of purchases with campaign funds–including postage and car insurance, among many others.

Ford’s lawyer, William Runyon, previously said the mistakes were a result of “well-intentioned errors” and reiterated that claim again before the committee. Runyon’s call for the charges to be dismissed was not granted.

Ford has seven accusations against him, stemming from a time period from July 2009 to the present.

Ford has served in the Senate since 1993. If the 10-member Ethics Committee finds he broke ethics laws, Ford could face $2,000 fine per violation. The committee has an equal number of Democrats and Republicans. During the hearing, Ford sat quiet for the most part, speaking only to his attorney.